


Why You Should Never Walk Alone in a Graveyard in the Dark of the Night (But Sometimes Their Are Exceptions)

by QueenOfPlotTwists



Series: 31 Day Yu-Gi-October Halloween Challenge [26]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: 31 Days Of Halloween, Cemetery, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Fic Graveyard, Ghosts, Halloween Challenge, Mentions of darkshipping, October Prompt Challenge, Ryou is a Medium, Yamis Have Their Own Body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27221572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfPlotTwists/pseuds/QueenOfPlotTwists
Summary: Sequel to The Troubles with Being a Haunted House's LandlordRyou doesn't mind his job as the Cemetery Caretaker: he gets to live in a creepy old caretaker's house for free (even if it comes with a cantankerous ghostly roommate and his way too flirtatious roommate), he's away from his Father and all he has to do is patrol the peaceful graves and call the cops if idiots try to break into his place to summon the dead. Life is good. Life is simple...until one night when he hears someone weeping.31 Days of Yu-Gi-October Halloween Challenge PromptsPrompt 29: Bleeding
Series: 31 Day Yu-Gi-October Halloween Challenge [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947991
Kudos: 4





	Why You Should Never Walk Alone in a Graveyard in the Dark of the Night (But Sometimes Their Are Exceptions)

**Author's Note:**

> This idea actually came as a surprise to me...I kept trying to figure how to work bleeding that wasn't vampire related, but i kept going back to "bleeding hearts" but this one was actually born of the Graveyard Boys ideas. And cause I discovered the graphic novel Cemetery Girl at work :)  
> Not sure if this will turn into something or not especially since it takes my original Ghostly-roomate-shenanagins plot into something more dramatic because apparently I am incapable of writing something that is pure humor and fun without it turning into something more dramatic...
> 
> 31 Days of Yu-Gi-October Halloween Challenge Prompts  
> Prompt 29: Bleeding

Why You Should Never Walk Alone in a Graveyard in the Dark of the Night (But Sometimes Their  _ Are _ Exceptions)

Deciding it was better to let his pair of ghost roommates have their fun, Ryou held off putting away anything that didn’t needed to be refrigerated and held off cooking dinner—not like he was hungry anyway—and decided to start his rounds. He  _ was _ the Cemetery’s caretaker, after all, he might as well do the job that came with free room and board, despite the fact it was haunted.

Grabbing his flashlight, the sun having already set, and flipping on the back porch light he descended the steps, having not yet bothered to take off his coat, and hiked the small path passed the small yard’s willow and oak tree at the end of the yard and followed the gravel path and inhaled the surprisingly calming smell of grass and grave soil.

There was something surreal and calm about a graveyard at night—walking the gravel paths in the dark surrounded by stone angels: winged angels, ancient angels, praying angels, weeping angels, angels in triumph, warrior angels, angels overwhelmed with sadness. He could understand why Atem and Bakura like to refer to it by the poetic names they did, the Beautiful city of the dead, the Necropolis of Missing Loves, the Kingdom of Lost Lives. Just to name a few.

It really was a beautiful place: a labyrinth of winding paths and climbing hills smooth with carpets of grass, little ponds and the wide, spiraling arms of old woman willows, and endless rows of graves and tombstones. But Ryou liked it: he liked the cold chill on his face that somehow made the air fresher, the pure earthy scent of fresh grass, and midnight mist and upturned soil. The city of tombstones. He loved the obelisks and the draped urns, the stone crosses and the weeping maidens and angels with upturned faces, the ancient mausoleum in the heart of it all. He loved it.

He loved the quiet.

He loved the peace.

He loved the stories and poetry engraves in stone upon the graves.

It was both peaceful and terrifying at the same time: both humbling and filled him a zealous zest for life. Beautiful in its sleep and yet heartbreakingly sad. He could spend house in that place, his flashlight and the moon casting pale yellow and silvery blue shadows everywhere, reading the poems and names and histories written in the rocks. It was like a city of memories: precious and pure but also silent and secretive. The ghosts slept peacefully save for the ones in his house. The best part was he got paid for it.

The local mortuary took care of most things like funeral planning, digging graves, and aligning tombstones: Ryou’s job was mostly to make sure idiot teenagers—like the morons who broke in earlier—didn’t mess up the graves or the crypts and called the cops if he suspected someone broke in. Essentially, he was a babysitter, but it was easy work, and despite how annoying Bakura was and flirtatious Atem could be, they were possessive enough of their home and protective enough of him that it was relatively easy work and late nights were a small price to pay for a free house and a home as far away from his Father as possible.

Passing the small pond dipping in the between the hillsides, he was about to turn back when he heard a rough sniffling sound…almost like…weeping? That was curious? Did someone get lost on their way home from the dark? Or thought to use the graveyard as a shortcut and got lost? It happened before? Armoring himself with his coat and flashlight, his pocket knife in his boot (you could never be too careful) and carefully approached the aching sound. The closer he got the worse it sounded: it wasn’t some ghostly moan or fake, silly crying that teenagers did over pointless things, but the sorrowful sobs and weak, weepy broken sounds of a person truly hurt, truly scares, truly lost and broken and alone.

“Hello?” Ryou called out forcing steel into his voice. “I’m the Caretaker, here. You’re trespassing but if you’re lost or need help, I can call someone.”

The tears did not stop. Ryou’s flashlight rose, and landed on a pair of feet shoes in fancy dress shoes. His flashlight rose taking in sleek black dress pants over slender legs, belt trimmed a slim waist, a sleek purple and maroon silk shirt and black blazer hugged a slim frame and slender chest—a boy, sitting upon the tombstone curled up in a fetal position and crying into his knees. His pale face hidden by his knees but a crown of raven black hair feathered with scarlet red and a golden forelock adored his head. It reminded Ryou of Atem’s but softer, younger. The weeping was that of a boy, a teenager, a broken heart betrayed by all, and the anguish of it filled his choked sobs in such a way that it broke Ryou’s fragile heart.

“Hey,” he offered, empathic. “It’s alright…”he reached out. “What’s your name?”

“I…”the boy whispered and Ryou could just barely make out the curves of a rounded face in the dark.

“It’s alright, I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?” He stepped closer and the boy recoiled.

“It’s alright,” Ryou took a surrendering stance. “I’m here to help, what’s your name?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” The boy screamed transforming into a terrifying spectral form of himself: his fingers became claws, his flame shaped hair became actual fire, his eyes became sunken and black and hollow and his mouth twisted like a jack-o-lantern’s and his body and limbs elongated like a monster’s.

Ryou screamed—but it wasn’t the boy’s terrifying appearance that shocked him, it was the maroon wetness staining his purple dress shirt. Right where his heart would be.


End file.
